Week 75 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week there were growing concerns about Trump’s erratic behavior and mental health, including from former allies and regime members. While Trump’s unpopular war with Iran entered its seventh week, already extending beyond his four to six week estimate, Trump started a new war of words with Pope Leo XIV, further enraging parts of his base. Things escalated when Trump posted an image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, later taking the rare action of deleting the post, while defending himself and continuing to attack the Pope. In a letter to the Vatican, Pope Leo warned of the risk of democracies sliding into “majoritarian tyranny.”

As ceasefire negotiations with Iran got underway, Trump refused to avail himself of the expertise in the State Department, instead sending Iran’s request of Vice President JD Vance, along with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, none of whom had any experience with Iran. As Vance told reporters that negotiations had failed, Trump was seen ringside at the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Miami, seated with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, unbothered and cheering the fighters. Trump enjoyed his weekend at fundraisers and golfing at his properties, while sending thousands more troops to the Middle East.

The world order continues to shift dramatically under Trump, or as Chinese President Xi Jinping put it, the international order is “crumbling into disarray.” Despite intervention by the U.S. and Russia, Hungary’s Viktor Orban was defeated in a landslide, after serving 16 years, a refutation of authoritarianism. Trump alienated one of his last remaining allies, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, over the Iran War and his attacks on the Pope. Europeans held discussions about a post-war effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, without the U.S., and about a plan for a “European NATO,” without the U.S. An election in Canada empowered the party of Trump foe, Mark Carney. Even Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed back on Trump’s blockade of Cuba, and the deaths of Mexican nationals at the hands of immigration agents.

Trump, and the U.S., increasingly stands alone. Congress finally returned to Washington D.C., but remains largely silent and sidelined. One volatile man, whose mental health is clearly in question, is now making decisions with a shrinking circle of trusted aides, that impact the entire world. Trump is increasingly acting like a mad king.

CBS News reported the Office of Personnel Management proposed a regulation that would allow it unprecedented access to medical records of 8 million Americans, including federal workers and retired members of Congress, raising concern from insurers, health, and legal experts.
Consumer confidence, measured in a University of Michigan survey, plunged 11% to 47.6, the lowest level on record, amid consumer concerns over rising energy prices and Trump’s Iran War. Respondents also expected prices to rise by 4.8% a year from now.
The Consumer Price Index surged 0.9% in March from February, the largest monthly jump since 2022, as the Iran War led to gasoline prices skyrocketing. U.S. gas prices rose by 21% in March, the largest monthly increase since at least 1967.
WSJ reported that Trump promised mass pardons to his staffers before he leaves office. The circle for which he would pardon grew from 10 feet, to more recently, “I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval.” He had granted clemency to over 1,600 people so far.
FT reported that while the Trump regime tries to broker a deal in the Middle East, Trump had yet to nominate a U.S. ambassador for Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Qatar, Kuwait, or Iraq. Of the 195 American ambassador posts worldwide, 115 were still vacant.
AP reported Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, admitted he made an error in accusing New York of health care fraud, after confusing billing codes led him to say 5 million people were getting personal care services, not the actual 450,000.
WAPO reported the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control delayed the release of a report that showed covid vaccines cut the likelihood of urgent care visits by 50%, and hospitalizations by 55% for healthy adults, compared to those not receiving the vaccine.
A major study done in Denmark that tracked more than 1.5 million children ‌born between 1997 and 2022 found no link between pregnant women taking acetaminophen, known in the U.S. as Tylenol, and autism.
PBS reported that the Environmental Protection Agency proposed weakening rules that govern the handling of toxic coal ash, and rolling back rules for cleaning up existing coal ash sites, despite the risk that disposal of ash was known to contaminate groundwater.
IBM agreed to pay the Trump regime $17 million to settle an anti-DEI case over allegations the company had identified “diverse” candidates for hiring or promotions, while developing race and sex demographic goals.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Trump fired all six members of the board that oversaw The Presidio, a former military base in San Francisco that was transformed into a self-sustaining national park. All six were appointed by Biden. No new board members were named.
An NYT analysis found that the Trump regime has overhauled immigration courts, firing 100 of 750 immigration judges, who the regime believed were not supportive enough of Trump’s aggressive deportation agenda, an unprecedented purge.
The Trump regime has appointed 143 permanent and temporary judges. The result is the number of people being deported has risen sharply, while asylum claims have been approved in fewer than 10% of cases, the lowest rate on record.
On Saturday, NYT reported that Trump fired Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, the immigration judges who blocked the deportations of international students Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi, both of whom expressed pro-Palestinian views.
On Saturday, Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, a Venezuelan who worked in a hospital emergency room in the Rio Grande Valley, and had a valid work permit, was detained in South Texas after checking in for a flight to California, where she planned to join her husband for an asylum interview.
Bolivar was the second Venezuelan doctor detained by federal agents, in what an immigration lawyer called “indiscriminate” enforcement. Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a resident in emergency medicine, was detained by Border Patrol agents at a checkpoint in South Texas days before.
A federal appeals court voted 2–1, with both judges in the majority appointed by Trump, to block U.S. District Judge James Boasberg from investigating possible criminal contempt by Kristi Noem and other regime officials in connection with deportation flights last fall.
On Tuesday, the DOJ asked a federal appeals court to throw out seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders for the Jan. 6 insurrection, erasing all the leaders’ convictions, after Trump had already commuted their prison sentences.
NBC News reported David Daniel, a Jan. 6 insurrectionist pardoned by Trump, pled guilty to charges involving sexual exploitation of a minor and possessing sexually explicit images of children. The judge said Trump’s pardon did not apply to child exploitation.
CBS News reported Army survivors of the deadly attack on an army base in Kuwait that killed six and injured 20 disputed Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth’s account of the incident, that a “squirter” drone that got through the defense of a fortified unit, saying instead the unit “was unprepared” to protect itself.
An NYT analysis implicated U.S. missiles called Precision Strike Missiles in strikes on a sports hall, a school, and two residential areas in the Iranian city of Lamerd, that killed 21 civilians, despite U.S. Central Command’s claims that it was an Iranian missile.
The Free Press reported Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby summoned the Holy See’s then-ambassador to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre to the Pentagon, the first known Vatican official to visit. Officials said the Pope’s January speech was hostile to Trump.
FT reported that at the meeting, after Pierre said that Pope Leo XIV would follow Church values, a Pentagon official invoked Avignon, the 70-year period when the king of France had its own loyal “antipope” in opposition to Rome.
Pope Leo XIV pushed back on the Trump regime’s use of religious rhetoric to justify war, posting on X, “God does not bless any conflict,” and “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
On Wednesday, Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, demanding that European allies provide specific commitments on how they will help to secure the Strait of Hormuz after the war. A U.K.-led coalition of 40 countries had pledged help re-opening the strait.
Hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that NATO “wasn’t there” when the U.S. needed it, and that the allies “won’t be there” if needed again, adding, “Remember Greenland,” calling it a “big, poorly run, piece of ice.”
WSJ reported the Trump regime was considering punishments for NATO countries that do not support the war, including removing U.S. troops from those not supportive, potentially closing bases in Spain and Germany, and placing troops in supportive Poland and Romania.
Trump also posted around midnight that “All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel…will remain in place in, and around Iran,” and that the U.S. military was “loading up and resting” and ready for “its next Conquest,” adding, “AMERICA IS BACK!”
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s initial 10-point plan, which was widely reported as the basis of the ceasefire, was “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable,” claiming, “It was literally thrown in the garbage” by Trump and his team.
Leavitt also baselessly claimed that reports that the Strait of Hormuz was still closed were “false,” adding, “It has been relayed to him [Trump] privately that that is what’s taking place.” She added on one of the ten points, “Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.”
Politico reported that oil company executives reached out to Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to protest allowing Iran to charge a toll for passage in the Strait of Hormuz. One said, “We didn’t have to do that before — and I thought we won the war.”
Trump planned to send Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner to negotiate. R. Nicholas Burns, a former senior State Department official urged the Trump regime to loop in Iran experts, calling the fact that senior career diplomats were excluded “diplomatic malpractice.”
As Trump threatened to wipe out a civilization and then entered a shaky ceasefire, Congress remained out of session, and Republican leaders and members remained largely silent, once again deferring to Trump on matters large and small, and focusing publicly on other topics.
Polls showed that just 24% of Americans believed the war in Iran had been worthwhile, while 51% said it had not been worth the cost, including 20% of Republicans. Young Republicans were especially skeptical of the war.
On Wednesday, the Military Times reported that in December, the Selective Service System, the federal agency that maintains a database of registered U.S. males, would begin automatic registration for U.S. military draft-eligible men.
On Wednesday, AP reported a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on the betting platform that the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire, hours before Trump’s announcement, pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.
On Thursday, WSJ reported that the White House Management Office warned staffers in an email on March 24, the day after Trump announced a pause in hostilities on social media, not to place bets on prediction markets related to the Iran War.
On Friday, Trump praised public company Palantir on Truth Social, including the company’s stock ticker in his post, after the stock was down 14% in the week, saying the company had “proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment.” The stock rebounded after.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled against Anthropic’s effort to block the Defense Department’s classification of the company as a supply chain risk. With the ruling, the company was excluded from Pentagon contracts, but could continue working with other federal agencies.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported the U.S. Treasury is seeking access to Anthropic’s Mythos AI model, which had been able to spot cyber vulnerabilities in all operating systems and therefore had limited distribution, to look for vulnerabilities in Treasury’s systems.
On Thursday, a federal judge found the Pentagon had violated a court order by restricting the press, saying it “flouts the Court’s explicit directives and disregards the constitutional principles,” describing “curtailment of First Amendment rights,” made “even more so in a time of war.”
The judge said he had received “dozens of letters and postcards from people across the country” about the First Amendment, and castigated Defense Department Sec. Hegseth for trying to “dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message.”
On Thursday, Trump warned Iran about collecting tolls in the strait, posting on Truth Social, “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait,” adding, “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”
Trump also threatened to impose 50% tariffs on goods from countries supplying Iran with weaponry. Regime members claimed Trump had authority to do so using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, despite the Supreme Court ruling.
Trump also lashed out in a 500 word rant at Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, conservative allies who were speaking out against the war, calling them “losers” and “stupid people,” and personally insulting each one of them.
Tens of thousands of Trump supporters on Truth Social responded with outrage and frustration to his posts, saying they feel betrayed by the war, and ashamed of his using an expletive on Easter. On his “whole civilization will die” post, just 25% of the responses were positive.
Shortly after, Trump added tension to the shaky ceasefire, posting on Truth Social that Iran was “doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say,” of allowing “Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “That is not the agreement we have!” Traffic remained at a trickle.
NYT reported that while publicly Trump has championed U.S. manufacturing and the U.S. steel industry, he planned to use foreign steel donated by ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based firm, for his White House ballroom project.
The donation was valued at $37 million. Days after Trump talked about ArcelorMittal’s donation publicly, the White House made adjustments to its tariffs that could benefit the company by cutting tariffs on its steel from its Canadian plants in half.
Bloomberg reported Mixed Martial Arts Group Ltd., an Australia-based company for which Donald Jr. is an adviser, is seeking a government contract to teach fighting techniques to military and police forces.
On Tuesday, a survey by the Farm Bureau of 5,700 farmers found 70% of respondents said fertilizer is so expensive because of the Iran War, that they will not be able to buy all the fertilizer they need, including 8 in 10 in the Southeast U.S.
The Trump regime’s DOJ Civil Rights division opened an investigation into Los Angeles school district policies that give schools discretion in deciding whether to disclose students’ gender identities to their parents, saying the policies “deny parents’ fundamental rights.”
On Wednesday, former attorney general Pam Bondi said she would not testify before the House Oversight Committee on the Epstein files, citing, “she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General.” She did not show up on April 14.
On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement, denying she had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, adding, “I am not Epstein’s victim,” and “Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump,” and “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims.”
She also described her emails with Ghislaine Maxwell as “casual correspondence,” despite released Epstein files showing otherwise. She also called on Congress “to act” and hold public hearings allowing Epstein victims to testify.
Although reporting indicated her statement caught Trump by surprise, he claimed he knew she wanted to address rumors, saying, “I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement,” and that she “had a right” to talk about Epstein.
On Monday, a federal judge dismissed Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal over an article about an Epstein birthday letter from Trump, saying it was “not plausibly alleged that the Defendants published the Article with actual malice.”
WSJ reported Trump had quietly gone through a seismic shift in his approach to China, adopting a conciliatory tone ahead of his May meeting. Trump had also instructed his regime and Congressional Republicans to back off from the confrontational approach.
NYT reported that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had for the first time spoken out publicly against Trump, saying in an interview, “I’m fed up,” and saying British consumers were “unfairly subject to wild swings in their energy bills” because of Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
CNN reported that U.S. intelligence had learned that China was preparing to supply Iran with shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles known as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems within the next few weeks, and was using third countries to mask the weapons’ origins.
On Friday, Trump posted support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Truth Social, posting, “My Administration stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the US to strengthen Hungary’s Economy,” adding, if “Orbán and the Hungarian People ever need it.”
On Friday, the Pentagon asked a federal judge to allow it to maintain restrictions on journalists, requiring them to have escorts when they enter the military complex. The judge had already twice thrown out parts of Pentagon restrictions, which it vowed to appeal.
On Friday, speaking to reporters before heading to a $1 million per person fundraiser at his winery, Trump told reporters the strait “will open up automatically,” adding, “we’ll open the strait anyways. Don’t forget, we don’t use the strait. Other countries use the strait.”
Asked about a backup plan, Trump said, “You don’t need a backup plan,” claiming, “The Navy is gone, the air force is gone, all antiaircraft is gone, the leaders are gone, the whole place is gone.”
Shortly after, Trump posted an image on Truth Social of a 250-foot arch he planned to build near the Potomac River, saying the Commission of Fine Arts had filed plans for the project, and it would be “the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World.”
Trump also submitted plans to paint the Eisenhower Office Building gray stone facade in white. The Trump regime submitted a plan to the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel of Trump appointees.
On Saturday, a federal appeals court allowed construction of Trump’s ballroom to continue, for now, citing the regime’s argument that halting work is a “security” threat since an underground bunker was being built. The court cited safety “plainly outweighs future aesthetic harm.”
On Saturday, as peace talks between the U.S. and Iran got underway, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy was “clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” calling it “a favor to Countries all over the World,” including China, Japan, France, South Korea, Germany, and others.
Trump also mocked Islam, saying, “[T]heir longtime ‘Leaders’ are no longer with us, praise be to Allah!” and added, “The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines.” U.S. Central Command said two U.S. ships had passed through.
In an interview with NewsNation, Trump was asked about his claims that empty oil tankers were coming to the U.S. to be filled. Trump sidestepped, saying “many of them.” When asked if this was because the strait was closed, Trump said it will open in the “not-too-distant future.”
Later Saturday, Trump told reporters after golfing and before leaving for Miami to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight, “Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me,” claiming, “regardless of what happens, we win. We totally defeated that country.”
Trump also chastised a female reporter who asked why the strait was not open yet, saying, “You don’t know anything,” and then asked who she worked for, she answered NBC, and he called it “fake news,” adding, “we win no matter what.”
Later Saturday, Vance told reporters that he, Witkoff, and Kushner had failed to reach a deal with Iran, after 21-hours of talks in Islamabad, saying the U.S. had made its best and final offer, and Iran did not accept it. Iran had reportedly brought 70 experienced officials to the talks.
While Vance made his announcement, Trump was seen with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a sports arena in Miami for a UFC fight, and were watching a video montage of past fights. Trump sat impassively, while Rubio intermittently typed on his phone and spoke to him.
On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy would blockade the strait, posting, “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”
Shortly after, Trump threatened on Fox News to start bombing civilian sites in Iran, saying, “The only thing left, really, is their water, which would be very devastating to hit,” adding it’s “their desalinisation plans, their electric generating plants, which are very easy to hit.”
In the long, rambling interview, asked about the strait, Trump switched to Venezuela, saying, “I was thinking about calling it [the Gulf of Mexico] the Gulf of Trump, and I decided not to do it.” The Fox News host tried to end the interview, saying, “I know how busy you are this morning.”
Before she could end the interview, Trump also baselessly claimed, “Look, the [2020] election was rigged. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that now, and it’s all come out and it’s coming out,” to which the Fox News host said, “yup.”
Shortly after, from Mar-a-Lago where Trump was golfing, he posted that “As they [Iran] promised,” that they “better begin the process” of opening the strait, and “FAST!” adding this has caused “anxiety, dislocation, and pain” to the world.
Shortly after, Trump posted an unflattering image of Bruce Springsteen, adding, “Bruce Springsteen prior to plastic surgery???”
Later Sunday, U.S. Central Command clarified Trump’s post, posting on X that CENTCOM “will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET,” adding it would be done in accordance with Trump’s proclamation.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered a landslide defeat, 54–38 to Peter Magyar, with his upstart Tisza Party set to win a possible supermajority, with 137 seats in parliament, to 55 for Orban’s Fidesz. Magyar promised a two term limit, and an end to authoritarianism.
On Sunday, in a “60 Minutes” segment, the three current American cardinals serving the dioceses spoke out against Trump’s wars, which they said were not just, his cruel immigration crackdown, and anxieties of their parishioners due to the threats to peace at all different levels.
Cardinal Blase Cupich pushed back on the regime’s “gamification” of the war in videos on social media, saying, “We’re dehumanizing the victims of war by turning the suffering of people and the killing of children and our own soldiers into entertainment.”
Later Sunday, in a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump attacked Pope Leo , calling him “WEAK on crime,” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.” Trump also posted that Leo “should be thankful,” taking credit for his selection, posting, “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Shortly after, Trump posted an image depicting himself as Jesus. The image showed him holding a glowing light in one hand, and resting the other hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital bed. Patriotic symbols included an eagle, fireworks, and the Statue of Liberty.
Shortly after, asked about his post by reporters when he landed back in D.C., Trump called Leo “a very liberal person,” and said “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” adding, “I am not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Overnight, extending until 4:10 a.m., Trump sent a series of Truth Social posts, including a mocked up image of a Trump tower on the moon’s surface, a post about his blockade, articles about Democrats who were his perceived enemies, and an article about his ballroom.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Trump’s few remaining allies in Europe with Orban gone, defended Pope Leo’s call for peace, posting on X, “May the ministry of the Holy Father help promote the resolution of conflicts and the restoration of peace.”
American Bishop Robert Barron, who served on Trump’s “Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty,” called on Trump to apologize, posting on X, “I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father.”
On Monday, Pope Leo told reporters, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.” He added of Truth Social, “It’s ironic — the name of the site itself. Say no more.”
Later Monday, amid widespread backlash, Trump deleted the image depicting himself as Jesus, a rare action. Asked by reporters, he claimed he was not trying to compare himself to Jesus, saying, “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”
Asked if he would apologize, Trump said, “There’s nothing to apologize for,” and said of Pope Leo, “He’s wrong.”
Later Monday, in an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Norah O’Donnell, Trump admitted he had watched the segment, and said Pope Leo was “wrong on the issues,” adding, “I don’t think he should be getting into politics. I think he probably learned that from this.”
On Monday, NATO allies said they would not join in Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade. Trump had claimed on Sunday on Truth Social that “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.”
After the blockade went into effect, Trump posted on Truth Social that “If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” vowing to “kill” Iranian warships, like he did with drug dealers, adding, “It is quick and brutal.”
The leaders of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group warned that the impact of the strait closure was “global, and highly asymmetric, disproportionately affecting energy importers, in particular low-income countries.”
On Monday, NYT reported Trump’s erratic behavior and social media posts have raised concerns, even among allies, former advisers, and regime members about his mental health. There were increasing calls on the far-right for his cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.
While the White House denied accusations and claimed his crazy-like-a-fox persona was a tactic for negotiation purposes, others questioned whether his behavior, including his volatility, use of profanity, threats and tantrums, issues with sleep and other signs pointed to possible dementia.
On Monday, Vance, the highest ranking Catholic in the regime, backed Trump, telling Fox News that Pope Leo should stay out of U.S. affairs, saying, “Stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church.” Vance had recently converted to Catholicism.
On Monday, the Trump regime reversed, and said it would allow the Pride Flag to fly at Stonewall, a rare instance of backing off from the regime’s attacks on diversity.
On Tuesday, Trump turned on Meloni, saying in an interview in Italian media that she was “very different from what I thought” and criticized her for refusing to help re-open the strait, adding, “I’m shocked by her. I ⁠thought she had courage. I was wrong,”
Trump also attacked European allies, posting on Truth Social, “Europe is desperate for energy,” criticizing the U.K. for refusing to open North Sea Oil, and telling Norway to “drill, baby, drill!!!” and “No more windmills.”
On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping described the international order as “crumbling into disarray,” adding Trump’s blockade of the strait was “dangerous and irresponsible,” and vowed to take countermeasures.
WSJ reported Europeans countries met on Tuesday to draft a postwar plan to free up the strait, including mine-clearing and other military vessels. French President Emmanuel Macron said the group should not include the “belligerent” parties, meaning the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
WSJ also reported Europe was accelerating a fallback plan in case Trump pulled out of NATO, which some officials referred to as “European NATO.” Under the plan, European countries would take on more command-and-control roles and increase weapon production.
On Tuesday, AP reported Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum took a firmer stance against Trump, pushing back on migrant deaths of Mexican nationals at the hands of ICE, and on Trump’s imposing an energy blockade on Cuba, a key ally for Mexico.
On Tuesday, Pope Leo warned in a letter issued by the Vatican of the risk of democracies sliding into “majoritarian tyranny,” and adding, the Catholic Church taught that power could not be seen as an end in itself “but as a means ordered toward ⁠the common good.”
On Tuesday, Trump pushed House Republican holdouts to back the extension of reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a controversial government surveillance program which would allow the regime to continue to spy on Americans without a warrant.
On Tuesday, WSJ reported that prosecutors from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office turned up unannounced at the construction site of the new Federal Reserve headquarters, a new provocation. They were turned away, told they needed pre-clearance.
On Tuesday, Treasury Department Sec. Scott Bessent claimed in a speech that Trump’s tariffs could be restored to levels before the Supreme Court ruling by July, using Section 301 investigations underway as a rationale.
Bessent also criticized the Fed for not lowering rates, a move unusual for a Treasury secretary, saying, “I think the Fed has been wrong on inflation, and the core inflation is coming down.”
On Tuesday, Vance spoke at a Turning Point USA event at Atkins Ford Arena, which was sparsely attended, leavings thousands of seats empty. Vance was repeatedly heckled, with protestors saying, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” and “You’re bombing children.”
Vance again attacked Pope Leo, citing Leo saying that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” and asked about World War 2, saying, “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?”
Vance also said “one of the things I’m proudest that we’ve done” was stopping funding for Ukraine, telling Europe “if you want to buy weapons, you can, but the United States is not buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine anymore.”
On Tuesday, Trump renewed his attacks on Pope Leo in a series of late night Truth Social posts, saying, “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran, and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
Trump also posted, after midnight, that “NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!”
On Wednesday, in an interview with Fox Business released before the markets opened, Trump claimed the near seven-week war was “close to over.” Trump continued to vacillate in his public statements between saying the war was nearly over and threatening major escalation.
Trump also said that he would fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from the Fed board if he stayed on the board after his term as chair, saying, “If he’s not leaving on time — I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial.’
On Wednesday, WAPO reported the Pentagon planned to send additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days, including 6,000 aboard the USS George H.W. Bush and ships escorting it, as well as 4,200 others with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group.
On Wednesday, Trump post an image of Jesus embracing him against the backdrop of an American flag on Truth Social, adding, “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!!”

Trump posted and later deleted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus healing a sick man on a hospital bed, surrounded by patriotic imagery.